We tend to think of queerness and halakhah, commonly translated as Jewish law, as two things that are inherently opposed to one another. Passover teaches us, however, that narrowness and restriction is the starting point of our liberation. In that spirit, we will study (in pairs and as a group) short Talmudic texts from a queer lens that will reveal dynamic and creative forces that shape our legal tradition. Together, we will consider the power of our queering our collective norms to transform ourselves, the Jewish people, and the world.

Maayan Belding-Zidon, the Anne & Max Tanenbaum Fellow for 2022, will be speaking from a queer normative lens and all are welcome.

In that spirit, we will study, in pairs and as a group, short Talmudic texts from a queer lens that will reveal dynamic and creative forces that shape our legal tradition. Together, we will consider the power of our queering our collective norms to transform ourselves, the Jewish people and the world.

We encourage you to join us in person and can't wait to welcome you.

This program will be offered for in-person and online participants. Pre-registration is required for all. To register, click here>>

Maayan Belding-Zidon (she/they) is the 2022 Anne & Max Tanenbaum Fellow and a rabbinical student at Schechter in Jerusalem. Born and raised on the lands of the Wappinger people in Hyde Park, NY, she has degrees in Modern Middle East Studies (Yale 2013), Talmud and community management (Machon Schechter 2020), and teaching English as a foreign language (Levinsky College 2017). Since moving to Israel in 2016, she has worked at a Bedouin elementary school, as a community coordinator for Masorti communities in Tel Aviv and Rehovot, and as an educator for Jewish young adults doing service in Israel. She lives in Rishon LeZion with her wife, Ronnie, and their three cats.